Grassroots Tavern
New York, NY 10003-8008
Phone: (212) 475-9443
07/15/2006 Posted by lunaparker
to be honest, I was so aggravated with two of the reviews of this standby classic dive below that i created the account simply to respond. firstly, a bar is not a park, a playground, or a dorm. you may enter if over 18, and drink if over 21. if there is no restaurant (and grassroots hasn't served food since the late 70's) it is ABSOLUTELY at the discretion of the staff whether to allow anyone under that age in the bar. few dive bars are an appropriate place for a 4 year old, and the bartender was doing his job to keep to that well established rule. broken glass? dirty bathroom? really, there's a nice fake mall across the street that you can try. and to the birthday cakers? again -- it is at any establishment's discretion to allow you to bring in food from the outside. if they let you, it is a further kindness for them to not charge a fee for the privelege, as many restaurants do. bars and their employees are there to serve you, yes... but serve you ALCHOHOL. the very gracious, traditional bartenders at grassroots are a relic of a former city, where people expected patrons to have manners, as well as staff. don't order a water and bring a cake without ordering drinks first. it's totally tacky, presumptious and rude. the reviews are accurate: god save grassroots and the holiday cocktail lounge. god rest sweetwater tavern and the stinger, pre-cafe (weird...) and god save these holdouts of a new york we loved pre-disneyfication. darts, popcorn, cheap drinks, classic bartenders, unpretentious, great classic juke, take it or leave it. i don't expect ramones and free pitchers (just be nice!) at suede, don't try to fit a square (ahem) peg in a round hole. long live the tavern!
Pros: Cheap! Great popcorn. Usually unpretentious crowd (read: more cooper union, more vintage east village writers and artists, less nyu...thank god...)
Cons: dive bars should have been exempt from the smoking ban. the drinks are too strong. (oh wait...that's a pro...) st. marks place continues to die a painful death around
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